One morning in 2018, William Kopsco, then 59 years old, knew something was wrong. The East Millstone man was finishing his night shift doing maintenance at the county golf course, and he started struggling to breathe. He could barely make it to the garage to put the equipment away, and when he got home, he struggled upstairs. “I took a deep breath and nothing happened, so I called the ambulance,” he says.
For a little more than a year, William had been having trouble breathing, but he kept procrastinating seeing a doctor about it. But when he got to the ER that day, a lung function test was performed, and the results were not good: He was diagnosed with emphysema, a type of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). William’s lung disease was caused by smoking, which he stopped after he was diagnosed.
Because emphysema is a progressive, destructive lung disease, William’s breathing worsened over time. In addition to medications, he was on oxygen, but he still had difficulty breathing well. He had to sit on a seat in the shower and use cold water because the steam would make it too difficult for him to breathe. He couldn’t do anything, like mow the lawn, ride his beloved motorcycle or go to the gym.
A Candidate for Zephyr Valves
He and his wife, Julia, heard about Zephyr Valves, a new minimally invasive treatment that blocks diseased parts of the lungs, allowing the healthier parts to function better. They went out of state for a consultation about his eligibility for the treatment only to be told that a lung transplant would be a more effective option.
Having a lung transplant was not something William could wrap his head around. As his breathing got worse and his oxygen levels declined, his pulmonologist recommended that William get a second opinion with Killol Patel, M.D., an interventional pulmonologist at JFK University Medical Center who had been having success with the new treatment.
William got an appointment with Dr. Patel, and he and his wife found their experience with him to be “night and day” different from their out-of-state consultation. The Zephyr Valve treatment would help William, Dr. Patel told them.
“There are different kinds of COPD; in his particular case, the characteristics of his disease would benefit from the valves,” says Dr. Patel. “We are one of the only places in the country using a modified technique with the valves, and we have found that this technique has been successful for a number of patients like Bill who have been rejected at other places.”
Immediate Relief from COPD
In September 2023, Dr. Patel inserted Zephyr Valves in one of William’s lungs through a flexible tube placed down his throat through his mouth. No cutting is involved in the short procedure, and best of all, William felt better immediately.
“He had a phenomenal response,” says Dr. Patel. “I did not expect it to be that quick. The nurses were joking that they could never find him because he was running around the floor so fast.”
Having the Zephyr Valves in his lung has been life-changing, says William. “I can breathe. Before, I didn’t breathe. I was struggling to get air in even with oxygen. I stopped doing everything, but everything I couldn’t do, I can do now.”
Next Steps & Resources
Meet our source: Killol Patel, M.D.
To make an appointment with a pulmonologist near you, call 800-822-8905 or visit our website.
Learn more about pulmonology at Hackensack Meridian Health.
The material provided through HealthU is intended to be used as general information only and should not replace the advice of your physician. Always consult your physician for individual care.
SOURCE; https://www.hackensackmeridianhealth.org/
